Have you ever wondered why you laugh or tense up when you are tickled? What even is Tickling ? I wonder this all the time. Humans are extremely sensitive to touch, and a simple touch can cause a huge change in emotion for any human being. It’s almost impossible to get tickled by someone and not explode into laughter. But why is this?

In your brain, the cerebellum can predict when you are going to tickle (slight touches and stimulations to nerve endings) yourself. It sends the rest of the brain a signal that this is coming, which is why we will not laugh when we try and tickle ourselves. This may tell us that tickling is a social thing!

Quite unexpectedly in my opinion, tickling turns out to be a defense mechanism. Areas that are prone to injury on the human body are the ones that are the most ticklish. What would you do it someone was to tickle you? Probably tense up and get ready to move the person’s hands away from you. This is something that has been passed down through the generations and probably will continue to do so for a very long time.

Where are you most ticklish? For me, it is my underarms, feet, and stomach. Underarms contain the axillary vein and artery, which go directly to the heart. There are also no bones in the underarm, with that as well as major veins that make the human body work, this is a very sensitive area of the body, that is vulnerable to “attack”.

There is no evidence of why people laugh when they are tickled, or why people are even ticklish in the first place. It is known though that people have been ticklish for a very long time and most likely will continue to be for many generations to come.

Sources: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/laugh-tickling3.htm

My roommate is very concerned about the freshman 15. Which is complete and utter ridiculousness if you ask me. If you do not have a problem with weight gain, why should it make that much of a difference in college?

Lets play devils advocate for one minute. If freshman year of college DID cause weight gain: Causation: College causes weight gain.

Reverse Causation: weight gain causes college.

Third Variable: Stress, binge drinking, lack of sleep, greasier foods, less working out ext

So I’m not going to lie I see where the idea comes from. But WHERE exactly did the widespread belief of gaining 15 pounds, while getting a higher education, come from?

jezebel.com calls on Seventeen magazine for the blame, “Doctors were able to pinpoint the place where the lie got started: A 1989 issue of Seventeen magazine. The line “FIGHTING THE FRESHMAN 15” appears on the August 1989 issue, making it one of the most damaging cover lies of all time (Hartmann). I suppose it is possible that this magazine would cause this much talk over weight gain. The magazine’s audience is seventeen-year-olds, and those girls are about to get into college. But shame on them, the magazine is supposed to give girls advice, not promote the importance of not gaining weight. It irrationally being publicized for anyone in the world to see, were they not the least bit concerned? And furthermore, if you ask any person between the ages of 16-26, the majority of them would be able to tell you what the freshman 15 is. Which brings me back to this is complete ridiculousness.

According to Today, “A huge part of college is getting to know people and building relationships. That means loading up on “social calories” from eating, drinking and partying” (Bourassa). What is trying to be said here is that the calories that are causing the weight gain could really just be coming from the social events. You eat because you go out to eat often with friends, so that would be a perfect example of social calories. We all do it.

However according to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, the article states that “The authors observed an average weight gain of 2.7 lbs. About half of the students gained weight, and 15% lost weight. Men gained more weight than did women” (Mihalopoulos). Right there. A .gov site nips this stupid myth in the butt; thank goodness.

Along with that last fact, WebMD says that “At least a quarter of all freshmen lose weight during their first year. The average woman gains 3 pounds as a freshman and the average guy gains 3.5 pounds” (Hartmann). So it is not even enough of a weight gain to be noticeable…or to be stressing about.

The Huffington Post  made a good point of this when it was said that, “According to the researchers, this may be because many 17 or 18 -year-olds are simply not at their full adult size (both in height and weight) before heading off to college” (Grannell). So simple. Look at how easy it could be if every college student just comes to the conclusion that they just weren’t done growing yet? Maybe we could have avoided the whole freshman 15 nonsense.

The article went on to say that, “For women, the difference between first day of school and graduation was between seven and nine pounds; for men, it was between 12 and 13 pounds. Overall, the only consistent “cause and effect” relationship was between boozing and weight” (Grannell). So we should all learn that the weight problems are in large part directly correlated with alcohol consumption.

An article in Psychology Today said that, “They found those freshman living on campus were almost three times as likely as the community sample to gain weight but by their junior year they were almost back at baseline levels” (Karasu). So realistically, even if you were to gain any weight, your body will bring itself back down to your normal weight and comfortability.

So, ladies: do not worry about the freshman 15, it is clearly an overexposed myth.

Works Cited

Bourassa, Sarah. “The Myth of the ‘freshman 15’: How to Survive the College Diet.” TODAY. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Grannell, Rachael. “Why The ‘Freshman 15’ Is A Lie.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Hartmann, Margaret. “Freshmen 15 Doesn’t Exist, Was Invented By Seventeen.” Jezebel. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Karasu, Sylvia R. “College Weight Gain: Debunking the Myth of the ‘Freshman 15′” Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Mihalopoulos, Nicole L., Peggy Auinger, and Jonathan D. Klein. “Abstract.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Aug. 0000. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Scott, Elizabeth. “Is The “Freshman 15″ Due Entirely To Stress?” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

I’ve always been a huge dog lover. I’m extremely emotional towards my two golden doodles and I’ve always assumed that they’re emotional in response, whether they are wagging their tails or cowering in the corner or completely ignoring me. I want to believe that they are perceptive to my feelings but of course, they are animals and they don’t exactly have the intelligence or sense of feelings that humans do. So, I had to ask the question: do my dogs love me back?

According to Psychology Today, my intuitions could be plausible. After studying the brains of dogs, researchers have come to discover “that dogs have all of the same brain structures that produce emotions in humans” (Which Emotions Do Dogs Have 3). Scientists have found that the brain in a dog releases the same chemicals that the human does to create emotions. Dogs have the same hormone Oxycontin as humans, which allows one to feel love and compassion.

One key difference though, is that humans feel these emotions more passionately than dogs. This article claims that the range of emotions that dogs feel is equivalent to that of a two and a half year old child. These emotions develop over time, although this occurs faster than it does in humans. Love might not come immediately from your pooch. Instead, they grow into the emotion like any human “learns to love” someone.

One emotion that dogs apparently cannot feel is guilt. Rather, they feel fear which is why they tend to cower when they experience this sensation. Therefore, rather than a dog feeling guilty for eating that birthday cake you left on your counter when you went out, they dog feels threatened by a punishment that might come.

The answer to the question imposed in the beginning of this blog is yes, it is possible for your dog to love you. If you have developed a consistent and loving relationship with your dog throughout the years, it is completely rational that they might feel the same way back.

Sources:

• Coren, Stanley. “Which Emotions Do Dogs Actually Experience?”Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Sussex Directories, Inc., 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201303/which-emotions-do-dogs-actually-experience>.

Do certain colors make people feel specific emotions? It has been prove that different colors do produce different emotions. “Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.” To learn more about possible effects colors have and reactions viewers have to them click on this link.

There are social culture effects as well as personal effects that colors have on humans. “You also have an innate reaction to color. For example, when you look at red, it does increase your heart rate. It is a stimulating color. This goes back to caveman days of fire and danger and alarm.” At a young age we are taught be alarmed when we see red, for example: red street lights, stop signs, and firefighter truck and police lights. So naturally when we see red, we are taught to be alarmed. It has been proven that seeing blue lowers blood pressure. I found an interesting article that tells one what to wear depending on ones mood.. click here for more details.

I found a website that states colors and what emotions they evoke, which I found interesting. Here is what it says:

Red: “Light red for joy and love; dark red for rage and anger, but also leadership and courage; pink for romance and feminine qualities; and rusty reds for fall and change.”

Green: “Yellow-greens for sickness and discord; dark green for ambition and prosperity; teal for emotional health and stability; and olive green for peace and harmony.”

Blue: “Light blue for heath, depth, stability and faith; dark blue for knowledge, power, trust and integrity.”

Purple: “Light purple for softness, nostalgia and romance; dark purple for moodiness, including unease, gloom or frustration or the much different sense of power and control.”

Yellow: “Light yellow for caution and trepidation; dark yellow for happiness, joy and freshness.”

Orange: “Yellow-orange or gold for prestige and wisdom; red-orange for pleasure, energy, health and desire; and dark orange for change or distrust.”

White & Black: “White for clarity, cleanliness and openness; black for power, elegance and mystery; and gray for calm and conservative.”

http://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/04/03/color-and-emotion-what-does-each-hue-mean/

I think that color evokes certain emotions from personal experience and what we learn from our culture. For example, when I walk into a red paint room I feel more anxious, where as when I am in a yellow room I feel more joy and happiness. Observe how you feel in different painted room and see if you sense a difference, too.

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/how-color-affects-our-moo_n_1114790.html

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HY9JHG3iqL8/T3c6w32DcQI/AAAAAAAAAFU/YIrVr9ePbJs/s1600/color-wheel-m.jpeg

Many people are under the impression that diet soda is better for you than regular soda.  Sure, it has less, if any, calories but that isn’t the only thing people should be looking out for.  I’m sure most people have been told that the chemicals in diet soda are worse for you than the sugar and calories in regular soda. So where is the research to back up this claim?

According to the Huffington Post article, This Might Explain Why Diet Soda Drinkers Are Often Overweight, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have discovered that, “artificial sweeteners may have a deleterious effect on our gut bacteria.” This can further cause a glucose intolerance that can lead to obesity and diabetes. Therefore, people who drink diet sodas think they are doing their bodies a favor; however, they are ultimately contradicting themselves.

Dr. Eran Elinav primarily conducted studies on mice.  He established a control group: mice received either plain or sugar water.  His experimental groups received water with an artificial sweetener such as sucralose, aspartame, or saccharin. Dr. Elinav found that, “the mice who had been drinking artificially sweetened water developed significant glucose intolerance.”

When he took his research and studied human subjects, he found similar results. “He found that those who reported eating more artificial sweeteners were more likely to be heavier, have larger waists and higher blood glucose levels when fasting.”

After hearing that diet soda is bad for you all my life, I’m glad that I found research to back up this theory.  Although I’m not sure of further research, this study seemed pretty legitimate.  I never drink diet soda myself and neither should anyone else if they want to avoid various health complications.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/artificial-sweeteners-gut-bacteria_n_5837646.html?ir=Healthy+Living

Who would’ve ever guessed that doing something as simple as cleaning your bathroom could be dangerous when mixing the wrong cleaning products? For me and my family, we have always cleaned our own house instead of having a cleaning lady, and it never occurred to me that mixing cleaning products could be a very bad idea. So of course when my little brother called me today to talk about his day at school and to tell me that mixing bleach and Windex could possibly kill me or any human, I didn’t believe him. There have been several times when I doubted my brother and ended up being wrong, so I figured that I should look into his claim.

Of course my brother ended up being right, so I’ll give him credit for this blog- thanks Sean. I actually found out that mixing bleach and ammonia, which is a major chemical in Windex, is extremely dangerous. When the two are mixed there are three dangerous possible results. Depending on the amount of bleach and /or windex you combine, chlorine gas, nitrogen trichloride, or hydrazine will be your result. All three substances are extremely dangerous.

Chloride gas can cause severe pain and can even result in death when inhaled. When in the presence of chloride gas, one’s eyes will begin to burn and obliterate the cells within your nose, throat, and lungs. If exposed for a long enough time, the chloride gas can result in death because of all the damage done to one’s respiratory system.

Nitrogen trichloride occurs when one mixes mostly bleach and a bit of ammonia. Nitrogen trichloride is exceedingly explosive. Any type of near by heat source, light source or electric shock is just enough for a violent explosion to occur. Nitrogen trichloride explosions are capable of taking one’s fingers, eyes, or vision. Even if the mixture didn’t explode, the chemicals produced by nitrogen trichloride are still able to damage mucus membranes and cause one’s eyes to tear as a result of the pain.

The third hazardous chemical made by bleach and ammonia is hydrazine. Hydrazine is a major element used in rocket fuel. Hydrazine is similar to nitrogen chloride when it comes to explosives. Hydrazine is the chemical reaction of mixing mostly ammonia and some bleach. In the past, there have been records of hydrazine being ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. The result of this dangerous chemical coming in contact with one’s body is violent. Symptoms of any type of contact with hydrazine includes “burning sensation of the eyes; irritation of the skin, nose, or throat; dizziness; nausea; blindness; kidney damage; convulsions; and a host of other side effects. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found hydrazine to cause cancer in animals.” (1). 

After conducting some research about the mixing bleach and ammonia and the harmful chemicals and effect it gives off, I’m ecstatic that I never accidentally combined bleach and ammonia during the several years I’ve helped keep the house clean. l’ve also decided not to question my little brother’s intelligence anymore.

Resources:

(1) http://chem.answers.com/experiments/why-not-to-combine-ammonia-and-bleach

http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/a/Mixing-Bleach-And-Ammonia.htm

Everyone loves to take a nice bath every now and then. However, what I don’t love, is how my fingers suddenly age 60+ years when I stay in the water for too long. Obviously, I know my fingers are not disintegrating from soaking in the water for too long but it never occurred to me to even look up what the real cause was. I guess I accept a lot of stuff without ever asking why. Seems like this class is helping me address all of the things I just accepted to be true.

Scientists have decided that our fingers prune because it allows us to grip things better. Our body understands that when our hands are wet, it becomes harder to hold on to something seeing as everything becomes slippery. Therefore, we have adapted to pruney finger and toes.

Another theory is that the epidermis is made up of the protein keratin. Most of the dead keratin cells are great at absorbing water. The cells absorb the water and swell to a larger size. However, since the cells get bigger but are still confined to the same surface area, they get all shriveled up. To be honest though, this explanation seems a lot more complicated than the first one. The way we were taught causes me to believe that the more complicated answer is the right answer even though they might both be contributing factors.

You might be asking, “why only our hands and feet?” Well, in terms of the first explanation, it is clear. The rest of our body simply doesn’t need to grip anything. Our feet grip the floor to prevent us from falling while our hands grip what we’re holding to make sure that we don’t drop anything. Now, in terms of the second explanation, it gets a little more complicated. It is clear that we use our hands and feet the most. And, have you ever poked yourself in the palm with a needle? It does’t hurt as badly as it does on your arm. This is because our epidermis is much thicker in our hands and feet. This means more keratin cells which, in turn, means more dead keratin cells. With more keratin cells, it is easier to see the effects of cell expansion.

To read more click here. 

I hope I satisfied some of the curiosities my classmates had. Next time your fingers prune up it’ll be up to you to decide which reason you believe to be true. 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-our-fingers-and-toes-wrinkle-during-a-bath/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/skin-wrinkly-in-water.htm

Before I left home to come to Penn State, there was a very important member of my family that I had extreme difficulty saying goodbye to, and that was my dog. Looking back on how sad I was to leave him, I can’t help but wonder if my dog also felt sad that I was leaving or if he even is capable of feeling sad.

The question whether dogs have feelings is a debate that has been going on for quite some time now and is leaning towards the answer that they do in fact, have feelings. As science has progressed over time, we have learned that dogs have the same brain structures that create emotions in humans. They also have the same hormones and experience the same chemical changes that humans do while undergoing stages of emotion. Due to the similarities in neurology between dogs and humans, it seems practical to assume that dogs experience the same emotions as humans. However, dogs may not have the same range of emotions that humans do. Research has shown that infants cannot experience certain emotions that grown adults do and over time, they are able to experience more complex emotions. Researchers believe that the emotional range of a dog can be compared to that of a two year old. Therefore, dogs can have emotions but they are limited to certain kinds. Humans go through developmental stages and each new stage is accompanied by the ability to experience more complex emotions. Similarly, dogs go through developmental stages however they go through them much more quickly than humans. They will have acquired all of the emotional ranges that they could by the time they are 4 to 6 months in age yet it is important to keep in mind that their range of emotions does not exceed that of a two year old human. While dogs can experience feelings of joy, fear, and love, they cannot experience complex emotions such as guilt or shame.

As a pet owner myself, I always think that my dog is feeling a particular way because of how well I think I know him however I guess I will never know what he is truly feeling.

Sources:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201303/which-emotions-do-dogs-actually-experience

Goosebumps are tiny elevations of the skin that resemble the skin of chickens after their feathers have been plucked. Goosebumps were once helpful to our animal like ancestors, but are not helpful to modern-day humans. Miniature muscles that are attached to each hair follicle cause these bumps. Each muscle contradicts itself, which causes the follicle to sick out. This action also causes the hair to stand up when ones body gets cold. In animals with a thick fur coat, their muscles use this mechanism to increase the surface of hair to provoke greater insulation. While goose bumps are inevitable when cold, thickness of the hair correlates directly with the animal’s level of insulation.

People also tend to experience goose bumps during emotional situations, such as when someone has anxiety, seeing an emotional video or performance, or even just listening to a song that touches their heart. When animals are in defense mode they extend these muscles to make them look igger and more intimidating to their predator.although humans don’t have the fur coat like animals do, they also subconsciously get goosebumps for defense purposes.

The reason for all these responses is the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline does not only cause muscles to contradict one another, but they also provoke many other body reactions . People can feel this when they are angry, happy, mad, etc. In animals, this hormone is released they are faced with a flight-or-fight reaction. Other signs of adrenaline release include racing hearts, sweating, shaking, etc.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/23/why-we-get-goosebumps_n_1375723.html

Everyone is born and knows how to laugh. It is not something that has to be learned, and is something that is very hard to do on command. Why do we laugh? How does everyone know how to do it? How do we know how to laugh before we even know how to speak? Very little is known about this subject. Laughter  is “part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional role in conversations.” according to NBC news. In a study on why people laugh, undergrad students studied over 2,000 cases of laughter, and looked at what came right before the laughter. They found that people laughed at a large assortment of statements, not just jokes. They found that laughter “punctuates speech” and rarely interrupts sentences.

Laughter bonds people and relationships, and communicates play, part of the reason why children laugh more often than adults do! Every animal has its own form of laughter, even though it may sound different. We do not try to laugh, our brain does it for us! The study conducted told them about when they laugh, but not as much on why.

Gelotology is the study of laughter. When studying laughter, the limbic system becomes super important, and the hypothalamus within the limbic system is the biggest contributor to loud and uncontrolled laughter!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelotology

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077386/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/big-mystery-why-do-we-laugh

When you think about service animals the most common species that comes to mind are dogs. How about if I told you that monkeys, parrots, ferrets, cats, rabbits, miniature horses and even pot bellied pigs are also service animals? Well they are!

According to veterinarian, Lianne McLeod, “pigs are intelligent, readily trained, affectionate, curious, playful, clean, generally quiet, odor free, and usually non-allergenic”.  When asked about pigs intellectual level, McLeod reveals that most pot bellied pigs are easily trained, however sometimes their brains can become an issue. McLeod stresses the fact that like all smart animals they enjoy exploring and learning new things. Despite the fact that most people would be pleased to have an intelligent pet, pigs can become a handful when they begin to over explore. Pigs will often times learn how to open bedroom, refrigerator and pantry doors. Despite the fact that their intelligence can sometimes become difficult to handle, they make incredible servos animals.

Not only are pot bellied pigs incredibly smart they are also able to outlive the average dog. Unlike large dogs that live between 12-15 years of age, an average pot bellied pig lives 12-18 years. Handicapped individuals may choose to have a pig over a dog because despite popular belief, they are clean animals, able to be potty trained, do not get flees and shed only two times a year.

According to Suzanne Held of the University of Bristol, “pigs are among the quickest of animals to learn a new routine”.  For individuals in need of a service animal pigs make the perfect pet and personal assistant.

Resources:

http://www.slantmagazine.com/assets/film/charlottesweb.jpg

http://www.help-your-self.org/animals.php

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/potbelliedpigs/a/pbpexpect.htm

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/potbellied-pigs-the-new-therapy-animals

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10angier.html?_r=0

This is my final blog on Alzheimer’s disease, the complex form of dementia that affects over five million Americans, including my Gran. To be clear, there is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s though many researchers have been diligently searching in more recent years. As I set out on my last bout of research on Alzheimer’s for this blog, I stumbled on to something called “Mindfulness,” a new coping method praised by CBS News.

See source here

When I read the article on CBS’s website, I found it vague. It didn’t explain the technique or how they tested it. So far, I was cynical of Mindfulness. So I went to the original research paper to learn more. Mindfulness, it turns out, emphasizes awareness of breathing, emotions, and communication skills, and light yoga for both Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers. Side-note, I’m in a yoga gym class myself. While I recognize the calming benefits and the physical exercise, I was wary after reading the Mindfulness description, skeptical that it could actually improve the condition of Alzheimer’s patients.

Before the study, patients and caregivers were both given cognitive tests and questionnaires that analyzed quality of life, depression, anxiety, sleep patterns, daily activities, and other aspects of patient and caregiver life. All of this was repeated after the eight-week program. In the eight-week period, patients and caregivers went to weekly group sessions on Mindfulness. In addition, patients were given 30 minute and hour long “homework” on Mindfulness practices including mild yoga exercises and breathing techniques.

So what were the results? Well interestingly enough, although the patients and caregivers expressed positive opinions about Mindfulness, concrete results were fuzzy. The results from the cognitive tests were inconclusive, not suggesting any positive impact of Mindfulness on the actual cognitive condition of Alzheimer’s. It did not improve memory or have an impact of statistical significance on daily life activity level, or sleeping patterns.

But here’s where Mindfulness did potentially succeed: outlook. Mindfulness seemed to have a positive, small yet significant impact on Quality of Life, Depression, and Anxiety in both patients and caregivers. Caregivers showed significant increases in patience and understanding in their reactions to patient problems. One caregiver remarked on Mindfulness, “Mindfulness helped me be more compassionate and thoughtful toward my elderly mother. It also helped me to live in the moment as well as reduce the adverse reaction to stress.” A patient made a similar remark: “The overload of stressors didn’t ease, but my sense that I’m coping better than I had thought (and as time went on, better than I was coping), gave me more energy and focus to deal with what I must.”

It’s difficult to tell the real impact of Mindfulness just yet. Questionnaires based on self-assessment pose a problem with Alzheimer’s patients who often struggle to organize and articulate their thoughts and memories. The study also only consisted of 37 people. Perhaps a larger study that had more objective observation of the patients before, during, and after Mindfulness could shed light on the full ramifications.

But here’s the thing: if all these people are convinced that Mindfulness reduced their stress and helped them cope, it might be worth a shot. The program appears low cost with a substantial reward. And stress is a huge component of coping with Alzheimer’s for both patients and caregivers. So many times when I’ve seen my Gran, she expresses how much stress she feels because everything is harder now; brushing her hair, putting on her shoes, using a key to unlock a door, remembering names and things to do, and so many other little things frustrate her and lead her to be more discouraged and depressed. If Mindfulness can at least alleviate some of this, I’ll see if I can recommend some of the information and practices to my Grandpop as he cares for her. To be honest with you, all of this research into the technicalities of Alzheimer’s is very selfish; I desperately want to hold on to the brilliant, beautiful, rational, loving, and talented Gran I’ve always known. As the end of this blog period comes, my last comments are that I expect a lot of innovative research into Alzheimer’s and a cure for it in the coming decades. ‘Night all.

Every single person reading this right now has a smart phone, or a tablet, played a video game at some point, or has some other techie thing in his or her possession. Which means we are all going to develop some serious pains in the joints in our hands when we are older. It makes total sense, we spend literally hours on end tapping on screens, and flexing the same joints over and over again. The damage is already beginning; according to a study presented at the 2011 annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism children are already reporting pain in their hands to their doctors during yearly physicals.

Interestingly enough young girls between the ages of 9-15 seem to report twice as much pain as boys. But it was also discovered that those involved in the study appear to send more text messages on average then their male counterparts. Many doctors are reporting that the stress found on the hands of the current youth generation is very similar to the stress found on the hands of adult assembly workers. Clearly the obvious connection here is that both parties engage in very repetitive movements for hours on end, day after day. According to Vipul N. Nanavati, MD, an orthopedic specialist and director of the upper extremity program at the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. The most common places where we see arthritis from repetitive hand use is “at the base of the thumb,This type of injury may cause shooting pain that radiates up the forearm.” Unfortunately, for our generation this issue is only going to get worse. If children are already reporting pain, imagine how bad it will be when they are in full adulthood.

We only just recently became introduced to the tablet lifestyle in the past ten years or so, and are fortunate to hopefully have a few more years until we start reporting pains of our own. Though I don’t know, some of you may already be experiencing this. There is no “cure” for arthritis, and unfortunately the only suggested solutions to this growing problem seem to be to avoid it. As in give up electronics, yeah because that’s totally easy for people to do these days. I have hope that our hero will rise soon and come up with an actual solution.

Source:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/arthritis/are-you-texting-your-way-to-arthritis.aspx

http://www.arthritistoday.org/about-arthritis/types-of-arthritis/osteoarthritis/daily-life/osteoarthritis-potential-causes.php

It’s the night before an exam, and you’ve pushed studying to the side until now. I guess you’ve better grab a coffee and take yourself to the library, looks like you’ll be pulling an all-nighter cramming. Don’t feel too bad, we’ve all been there. Surprisingly, I’ve earned some pretty good grades this way, so I haven’t quite learned my lesson yet. Can it really be that bad?

Okay, apparently it’s pretty bad. First of all, you’re sleep deprived, which hinders your daily performance in general, making it difficult to concentrate. You also only contain that information you crammed in your brain for that short amount of time. You’re essentially not learning anything, instead you’re just holding the information for as long as you need it.

A study UC-San Diego confirms it all. They took 1,354 volunteers, and had them remember 32 trivial facts. The volunteers studied the answers for several minutes to several months, and were then tested a year later. The results showed that the volunteers performed better when they spaced their studying out, rather than cramming everything in, in one session.

Luckily,  there is a trick to cramming, but procrastinators seem to be out of luck. Researcher say if one must cram, choose a date that’s closest to the time you learned the information, but not too close. For example, if you learn material monday, and will be tested on it the following monday, try to study wednesday.

So I guess cramming isn’t all that great, and spacing out study sessions are more affective.

Sources

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-11/cramming-not-long-term-study-strategy

Peacocks are among the worlds most beautiful birds.  They can be seen most typically at zoos       among the United States and in other nations.  The common belief is that peacocks are not able to take flight easily because of the large tails they possess; however, recent research has proven this not the case.

According to the Huffington Post article Turns Out Peacocks Tails Aren’t Such A Drag After All, researchers from the University of Leeds in England have conducted studies that prove this popular theory wrong. I personally never even knew that peacocks could fly in the first place so this article was particularly interesting to me.

Dr. Graham Askew studied peacocks initially with their normal tails then preceded by clipping the tails off to see if it would make a difference.  The surprising results revealed that, despite the  weight difference, the peacocks were still not able to take off anymore quickly than normal.

It’s clear that the tail is not used for flying purposes; however, the article states that, “the peacock tail is considered a prime example of sexual selection, a form of natural selection in which some animals have specific features that make it easier for them to attract mates–and thus reproduce. Other examples include lions’ manes and elks’ antlers.”

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/peacock-tail-sexual-selection_n_5843950.html?utm_hp_ref=science

I am really pale, with red-ish hair, and was interested in how the red hair gene came to be. However, I came across something in this investigation that was much more interesting. It turns out that having red hair actually has some advantages in terms of someone’s health.

Probably the most advantageous thing that I found about being a red head is that it reduces the likelihood of getting osteoporosis or other bone diseases, as well as rickets. According to the Vitamin D Council, the fairer one is the easier it is to absorb vitamin D. Absorbing vitamin D is important because vitamin D helps to prevent osteoporosis and other bone problems. WebMD reports that when someone is younger they can get rickets, which are a result of having soft bones, and this is more likely to happen when someone does not have the necessary amount of vitamin D. WebMD also states that “Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression, weight gain, and other maladies”. Vitamin D Council reports that it takes about half the time it takes an individual to start to get pink/burn to absorb all their necessary Vitamin D. The reason for the pale advantage in this situation is because melanin in the skin is more prevalent in people who have darker skin. Melanin protects the skin from UVB, which prevents Vitamin D from entering, according to Vitamin D Council. This also means that people who are paler can get more Vitamin D in winter months when the sun is not as prevalent, because they do not have as much melanin blocking the little sunlight available.

Photo from http://gingerparrot.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Freckles-How-to-Check-Your-Skin-and-Moles-Ginger.jpg

However, being pale also comes with the obvious issue of having an increased risk for skin cancer. Because it is easier to burn when one is paler, the chances of getting skin cancer rise. These chances can be lessened if a paler person wears sunscreen. The Vitamin D Council reports that sunscreen while sunscreen protects the skin it also blocks more Vitamin D, so it becomes more of a complex situation. If someone were to put sunscreen on only when it was the time that they usually start to burn, this could combat the issue and allow for Vitamin D absorption as well as skin cancer prevention. The only problem is that it can be difficult to know the strength of the sun that day or any other factors that could influence how much time it takes until someone will start to burn.

I wanted to find out if there were other advantages with having red hair. I found more disadvantages than advantages, though. For example, Everyday Health reported that red heads are almost 90% more likely to get Parkinson’s disease. It is not exactly clear why this happens, but because having red hair also means having special genes for this, scientists believe that it is due to a mutation in a gene. Everyday Health says that this gene causes even more problems for red heads. It apparently makes people who have red hair more sensitive to pain in general, including pain caused by hot and cold temperatures.

So, having red hair does mean that you are more likely to get Vitamin D and less likely to have bone problems. This is all good, as long as someone is staying careful in the sun. However, there seems to also be many other disadvantages apparent in people with red hair. Hopefully in time more research will be done on red hair genes that give more knowledge to this situation, but for now what seems to be clear is that if you have red hair, you are faced with certain risks and also some advantages.

Sources:

“How Do I Get the Vitamin D My Body Needs?” Vitamin D Council. Vitamin D Council, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/>.

DeNoon, Daniel J. “The Truth About Vitamin D: Why You Need Vitamin D.” WebMD. WebMD, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d-why-you-need-vitamin-d>.

Kerns, Katie. “Fiery Facts About Redheads.” Everyday Health. Everyday Health Media, 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty-pictures/6-fiery-facts-about-redheads.aspx#05>.

All around the world the drinking age in each country fluctuates. There are many different views across the world on why it should or shouldn’t be at a certain age. There are even a few countries that do not have a minimum drinking age whatsoever. There are fourteen that require an age of 16 and seven that require the age of 21 for drinking. The high majority of countries across the globe require an age of 18 to have consumption.

Each person has their own personal opinion on what it should be, and their own reasons on why it should be like that. America is 21, and we also have one of the highest binge drinking rates in the whole world. There might be a correlation somewhere in there. Maybe americans binge drink so much due to the fact that we aren’t allowed to drink so we have to get all of out drinking done on those times we actually do drink.

For the countries that have it set at 16, some might say that the age is simply too young because our brains are simply not developed yet. According to news-medical.net, our brains do not stop fully developing until we are into our 20’s. Could too much alcohol hinder the development of the brain before it is completely done? Although people in these countries on average do not seem to have any different brain problems than any other single country. So who is setting the bar at the right height?

In my opinion I think the drinking age should be 18 everywhere in the world. It would cut down on binge drinking in the countries where the legal age is 21 and it would also stop the countries with the age of 16 from possibly effecting their development of their brains. I don’t see the age changing anytime soon, at least in America.

Sources:

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/LegalDrinkingAge.html#.VBuivUu4mlI

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110923/Human-brain-development-does-not-stop-at-adolescence-Research.aspx

Im sure a lot of you like to work out or just engage in psychical activity to avoid gaining weight. Whatever the reason is, most of you probably do work out. In every work out I do, I make sure I perform a certain amount of cardio. I try to hit around 45 minutes of cardio a day then proceed with the rest of the work out including weights, ab exercises, and so on. Running is my cardio go to mainly because I find it most beneficial. It works so many muscles in your body and requires so much more strength and endurance. I feel more worked after running in comparison to biking or using the elliptical. This could obviously vary for different people. When the weather isn’t at the condition to run outside, I run on the treadmill. My friends who run track argue that running on the treadmill does nothing for you, so I decided to compare the two.

I feel one good thing about running on the treadmill is that you are forced to keep up with the speed. You can challenge yourself by increasing a speed and unless your ready to fall off of the treadmill, you have to run that fast. Also, you can increase the incline on a treadmill to make your run a bit more strenuous. If you are running outdoors on a track or a flat area, you don’t experience a surface level change. LiveStrong.com identifies running on a treadmill beneficial to maintaing good cholesterol and blood pressure. They also say it is a stress reliever.

Of course, there are downfalls to running on a treadmill. Studies and experiments show that the unnaturalness of a treadmill can cause pain and damage to muscles and bones. “Shin splints” or any form of pain in the legs can be present after aggressively stomping on a moving flat belt for so long. Other injuries can be present in your feet, hips, or knees from running on the treadmill. “Since the rubber belt essentially pulls your feet out from under you when you run, you don’t have to push off as much to generate forward momentum. This affects your gait and foot strike pattern, which can affect your joints if you’re used to running with a natural gait outdoors,” (Kelliher,1). Aside from the effects of the body, treadmills are definitely harder to run on because it is boring. You remain in the same place looking at the same thing for your entire run. On Sparkpeople.com they state in their article  that running on the treadmill requires less muscle fiber and coordination, making it less intense and beneficial that actually running outside.

Although both ways of running still mean we are being active, it seems we should try and take advantage of the opportunities to run outside.

1.  Kelliher, Steven. “Is Running on a Treadmill Bad?” LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. < http://www.livestrong.com/article/296197-is-running-on-a-treadmill-bad/>
2. “Treadmill vs. Running outside.” Runners Connect. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. < http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/treadmill-vs-running-outside/>
3. Walters, Jennipher. “Are You Cheating Yourself by Choosing the Treadmill?” SparkPeople. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1461&page=3>

Curse words and hatred run through our minds every time we hear the alarm go off in the morning.  We think to ourselves, “It can’t be 7am already?!”, as we dread getting out of our warm cozy beds and are forced to start another day of work.  Soon enough we’re in class and feeling super groggy and dazed.  Our quickest solution to getting over sleepiness is a big cup of coffee.  Not only is it delicious, but the caffeine gives us the energy boost we need to survive the rest of the day.  But the question here is caffeine addictive?

The average college student drinks about three cups of coffee a day.  Some of you would think this to be very minimal, but three could lead to four cups, which could lead to seven cups, and so on.  People may ask “so what?” but too much caffeine has been proven to be somewhat addictive.  Like other addictive drugs, people who drink caffeine regularly can become mildly dependent on it.  Caffeine is a stimulant which effects the central nervous system, so that is why we feel a boost of energy after consuming it.  There are also some withdrawal symptoms if you are a regular coffee drinker and stop taking caffeine abruptly.  These symptoms include headache, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depressed mood, and a difficulty in concentrating.

Sure, caffeine withdrawal can be unpleasant, but in no way is it as painful as other addictive drugs withdrawal.  And there have only been a few rare occasions of caffeine overdoses leading to death.  In these cases, the victims had taken caffeine supplement pills.  The amount of caffiene they had consumed with these pills would be the same as drinking six gallons of coffee.  In other words, it is almost impossible to overdose and die because of caffeine.

Because of the mild withdrawal effects, and low probability of overdose, most health experts would not categorize caffeine as addictive, but more of a “dependence”.

resources:

How Much Coffee Does America Drink?

http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts

The Benefits of a Guitar String and Song to Sing

We’ve all done it before. We get into our cars after a bad day at school or work and we blast, I mean… listen to at a very reasonable level, our stereos. We sing along to all of our favorite songs. Suddenly, we feel much better about ourselves. Why is this?

image courtesy of: the karaoke channel

According to More Music Please¹, there are several benefits of singing. These include:

1. Mood Enhancement
2. Increased feelings of well-being
3. Increase in positive feelings

But why is our mood enhanced when we sing along to music? We have only our brain to thank. When we listen to and sing along with our favorite tracks, endorphins are released throughout the brain².  According to How Stuff Works^,3 “[e]ndorphins act as both a painkiller and as the pay-off for your body’s reward system.” Basically,endorphins make you feel very good. They come in handy when you break a leg, but are in a life threatening situation that causes you to have to ignore the pain and keep walking. Because our brain releases these endorphins while listening to music, it causes us to feel really, really good.

When we sing, our brain also releases oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that reduces stress, anxiety, and relieves nerves⁴. According to an article in Time Magazine, oxytocin also increases feelings of trust⁴. If you are more relaxed, you will feel better about your day. The reduction in anxiety will help you feel like things at work or school will be better tomorrow. Also, the increased feelings in trust may help you really believe that the day will get better. Anyone can tell you that your day will get better, but you’re only going to feel good about it if you believe it will get better.

So next time you feel horrible about your day, whether it’s because your students received the lowest averages on their first test you’ve seen in four years, or because you were the student who received a low grade on their first test, just remember to sing along to your favorite song! (Dancing would probably be beneficial too, but don’t go too hard- you might pull a muscle!)

Sources:

1. http://www.moresingingplease.com/benefits-of-singing

2. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/singing-happy1.htm

3. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/exercise-happiness2.htm

4. http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/16/singing-changes-your-brain/

(these are all hyperlinked in the text, which open in new windows, so feel free to explore!)